The association had vowed to continue its indefinite strike embarked upon last week Wednesday over the non-funding of the Assembly clinic, refusal to approve the payment of the Staff Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS) which has been on for almost three years now.
The Delta State House of Assembly staff under the umbrella of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, (PASAN), have suspended its one-week strike, SaharaReporters has learnt.
The association had vowed to continue its indefinite strike embarked upon last week Wednesday over the non-funding of the Assembly clinic, refusal to approve the payment of the Staff Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS) which has been on for almost three years now.
The association had blamed the strike on the failure of the assembly leadership to regularise the appointment of casual staff members, train workers and pay all their entitlements, among others on the indefinite strike.
It had vowed that none of its members shall be part of the forthcoming 1st anniversary of 8th Assembly which commenced on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
Confiding in SaharaReporters, a principal officer who pleaded not to be mentioned disclosed that PASAN suspended its one week strike on Tuesday evening and gave the embattled speaker, Emomotimi Guwor and leadership of the house four days to resolve the impasse and failure to do that, the strike would resume.
Meanwhile, calls and a message put to the state chairman of PASAN, Emmanuel Edozie were not responded to but an official of the association who does not want his name mentioned who confirmed the suspension of the strike.
He said “Yes, we have called off the strike for four days to enable the committee set up by the state government to meet and come up with an answer for us. But, the suspension of the strike will last for four days after which we decide, either to resume or called off totally.”
SaharaReporters reliably gathered that the meeting held by the embattled speaker of the House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, with the leadership of PASAN last week ended in a deadlock as workers turned down appeals of the Speaker to call off the strike.
Last Wednesday, PASAN had locked the Assembly Complex entrance gate and that of the Speaker to prevent any entry for official business.
In a communique after the meeting of the association held last Tuesday at the Assembly Complex, the workers expressed displeasure with the delay in paying all their entitlements, describing it as a “delay tactics and ploy” to deprive them of their entitlements.
They also accused the leadership of the Assembly and government of lacking the political will to pay them.
The communique was addressed to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, and signed by the PASAN state chairman, Emmanuel Edozie and secretary, Emmanuel Osubor. It was copied to all directors, national presidents of PASAN, state police commissioner, Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) and Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state among others.
The Congress earlier this year suspended its strike scheduled for February 28, 2024, following the intervention of the Conference of Speakers and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to allow for full implementation of financial autonomy/payment of CONLESS and establishment of the House of Assembly Service Commission in states that have not passed the law and other issues that affect the legislature.
The communique read, “The two weeks’ appeal given to us by the speaker to allow committee set up by His Excellency, the governor of Delta state, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori to work out modalities of payment of CONLESS to staff have since elapsed without any substantial progress. Congress frowns that after the said committee has been given more than two months to work to fulfill its mandate of payment of CONLESS, it is yet to come up with a decision.
“Congress views these delay tactics as a ploy to deprive staff their entitlements and a sign that they lack the political will to pay. Congress also expressed her displeasure that the other issues raised at the meeting of March 28, 2024, bordering on training, funding of the DTHA clinic, regularization of casual staff among others are yet to be addressed or given attention after two months.
“Congress have exercised enough patience, restraint given in the face of the harsh economic downturn, understanding with the speaker and the committee set up by His Excellency the executive governor of Delta state and our patience have run thin.
“Arising from the above, Congress did now resolve to resume the suspended industrial action effective 12am Wednesday, 29 May 2024 indefinitely. Congress resolves that the resume strike action will only be resuspended in the event that approval and subsequent payment of CONLESS to staff and other issues enumerated above are addressed.”